The Goblin Chime
by KJS
Summary: Life and death brings a spell over the Labyrinth, as the cycle continues.


**_The Goblin Chime_**

**By KJS**

Disclaimer: Labyrinth doesn't belong to me. It belongs to a load of official types, but I make no money off of this, doing it for my own sanity. 

Note: This is just a short piece, written in an odd state during the predawn hours.   
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The sweetest sound, echoing through the Labyrinth. It seemed to penetrate every speck of dust, every stone and spirit, the chime like the sound of a waterfall of emerald shards. 

Chiming once. 

All the goblins lifted their heads, staring in wonder at the sound that flowed through them. None of the living had heard this sound, it was only spoken of in legends. 

Chiming twice. 

The calls of the birds in the Labyrinth grew louder, mournful. Other creatures heard the noise, and the residents of the vast maze felt themselves weep with the sound, not knowing why. In each of them, the back of their minds prickled as they recalled the old tales of the bells of eternity. 

Chiming a third time. 

The sun seemed to dim with the noise, and the colors of the Labyrinth faded a little. None had heard the sound before, none except the very land had felt the echo. 

Chiming a fourth time. 

Realization began to set in. Memories welled up from the subconscious. The chimes from the realm of the fae, the bells of the most beautiful harmony, that had been within the Labyrinth since its creation. The ones that were hidden to all, that only rang once in a time spanning thousands of years. Only rang when the time would come... 

Chiming a fifth time. 

The sound that had original lifted their souls made them come crashing down with realization. The onslaught of the chimes had reminded them of truth of them, the meaning. Hushed whispers broke out, open weeping among the inhabitants. 

Chiming a sixth time. 

All fights stopped with the sound, to be resumed at a further time. The heavy consequences of the moment outweighed any anger or scuffle. Even the trees knew it, their branches bending to the ground, the wind carrying the whispers of the last time the bells had rung. 

Chiming a seventh time. 

The harmonius noise ripped through the Labyrinth. The entire Underground began to hear them, feel the changes in the Labyrinth. All waited, as the echoes seemed to tell them what to do, what needed to be done at this crossroads. 

Chiming an eighth time. 

The sound kept coming, and some wished it would stop. As it burned in their minds, they knew the meaning. The music of it brought old memories to the surface, pounded at old wounds. Loneliness and fear from long ago began to resurface. The pain and memories overwhelmed the Labyrinth's creatures. 

Chiming a ninth time. 

Just as quickly as it brought them pain, the sounds seemed to fill them, and draw out pleasant times, singing the songs of brighter days, bringing up past loves and the gifts of the stars. Peace set upon the inhabitants, yet the truth still hung before them, the uncertainty. 

Chiming a tenth time. 

Intelligence flickered within the dimwitted goblins. A dawning comprehension they had rarely seen. Scattered through the   
castle and the Goblin City, they gathered together, anguish and confusion plain on their faces. A new era would soon begin. 

Chiming an eleventh time. 

The sun was setting over the Labyrinth,and the land would mourn under the mask of night. The reign of the Goblin King Jareth had ended. His thousands of years as the ruler of the Labyrinth has crumbled, for even the fae are not completely invulnerable to the flow of time. 

Chiming a twelfth time. 

The procession of goblins carried their ancient king's body. Even with the age that had struck him down, his features were still youthful. The blessing of the fae. 

Chiming a thirteenth time. 

With the final chime, silence fell over the Labyrinth. The ringing that came with the end of the royal leader ceased. The only sound was the crunching and the rustle of leaves as the goblins carried the body of the fallen king through the Labyrinth, and all the creatures who fell in line behind them. 

Soon, the only one not in the procession was a lone goblin who sat at his post as he knew he was supposed to. The most important duty at this vital time: listening, searching for a voice in the mortal realms to say the words. For it was known that on that night, one with a worthy heart would say the words, wishing him or herself away, as one had done so long ago, and ones before him. One would do so, not knowing why, yet because fate decreed it. One youth whose soul was fae, and who would return to the people with whom that destined one belonged. Return, to take up the throne, and so the kingdom would continue, as it always had.   
  
~Fin   



End file.
